My Sharona | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Drums :|| x4
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) :||
Verse 1
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) :||
Ooh my little pretty one, pretty one. When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ooh you make my motor run, my motor run. Gun it comin’ off the line Sharona.
Bridge 1
| G5 | G5 |
Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind.
| Bb5 | Bb5 |
Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind.
| C Eb | Eb F |
My my my i yi woo.
Chorus 1
| G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) |
M M M My Sharona.
Verse 2
Come a little closer huh, ah will ya huh. Close enough to look in my eyes, Sharona.
Keeping it a mystery, gets to me. Running down the length of my thighs, Sharona.
Bridge 2
Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind.
Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind.
My my my i yi woo.
Chorus 2
| G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | G5 |
M M M My Sharona. M M M My Sharona.
Solo 1
||: Csus4 C | Ebadd9 Eb F Eb F | G5 | G5 :|| x3
| Csus4 C | Ebadd9 Eb F Eb F | D5 | D5 (F#) |
Instrumental 1
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) :||
Verse 3
When you gonna give it to me, give it to me. It is just a matter of time, Sharona.
Is it just destiny, destiny? Or is it just a game in my mind, Sharona?
Bridge 3
| G5 | G5 |
Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind.
| Bb5 | Bb5 |
Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind.
| C Eb | Eb F |
My my my i yi woo.
| G5 | G5 |
M M M M M M M M.
| C Eb | Eb F |
My my my i yi woo.
Chorus 3
| G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | G5 (F#) |
M M M My Sharona. M M M My Sharona.
| G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | G5 |
M M M My Sharona. M M M My Sharona.
Solo 2
||: C G/C | F/C G/C :||
||: C G | F G :|| x27
| C G | F G | D5 | D5 N.C | 2/4 N.C |
Instrumental 2
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | G5 (F#) :||
Outro
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) :||
Ohhhhh, ah. My Sharona.
Ohhhhh, ah. My Sharona.
| G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb |
Ohhhhh, ah. My Sharona.
My Sharona Chords: Exploring the Modal Interchange
The Knack‘s worldwide hit My Sharona is built around a chord riff consisting of an octave bass (G) and two quick chords that resemble a V – IV progression (C – Bb), like this:
||: G5 | G5 (F#) | G5 | C Bb (F#) :||
This progression is angular, as the V – IV (C – Bb) are chords from the key of F. When the bridge enters, things get even more complex, as we initially feel the comfort of a G minor pentatonic scale, like this:
| G5 | G5 | Bb5 | Bb5 | C Eb | Eb F |
The G – Bb – C notes come from the G minor pentatonic scale, while Eb and F are IV and V chords from the relative major key of Bb, making this a classic example of modal interchange.
The first, third, and outro choruses follow the same structure as the initial riff, while the second chorus omits the C – Bb progression.
To summarise, we have fragments of the following scales:
- G minor pentatonic
- F Major (C – Bb as V – IV)
- Bb Major (Eb – F as IV – V)
Next, we have the first solo, where the chords take another interesting turn:
||: Csus4 C | Ebadd9 Eb F Eb F | G5 | G5 :||
This combines F Major (Csus4, G octave riff) and Bb Major (Eb – F as IV – V). After repeating this progression, the last two bars move to D5 instead of G5, which leads us back to the G riff.
In summary, most of My Sharona is in G Dorian, and through modal interchange, we transition to G Aeolian/Bb Ionian.
Next, we have some more variation in that bridge 3 is longer, not perfectly repeated. The chorus 3 is also double.
Finally, the second solo introduces yet another modal interchange to G Mixolydian, as the chords shift to C Major:
||: C G | F G :||
All of this means My Sharona is a feast of modal interchange. G switches between Dorian, Aeolian, and Mixolydian depending on the section of the song.
Clearly, The Knack did not write My Sharona with music theory in mind. Instead, they used the chords they liked the sound of. Music theory is a descriptive tool, not an exact science.
If you choose to apply this knowledge in your next punk-influenced band, it might be best not to mention the theory behind it to your bandmates.
Here’s a pretty intense chord chart that aims to cram all these different sections into one page. I wouldn’t recommend playing this live at a paid gig without proper rehearsal or at least preparing thoroughly at home first!
My Sharona Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Download my chord chart here:
My Sharona Chords | Related Pages
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